Steven Universe: Second Front
by Protect Your ADC
Summary: Rose Quartz has started a war on earth. With her stand hundreds of thousands of Crystal Gems. Homeworld has deployed ruthless Gem warriors to eradicate their enemies and end this uprising. The Crystal Gem solution: train elite Gems to combat these forces and ensure victory and freedom on Earth.
1. Prologue

"Rose Quartz is undeniably an incredible, masterful, and intelligent leader. Her strategies are brilliant and her fighting is of a caliber most of us will never reach. But she is only one Gem and she is not our mother. She cannot hold our hands through the entirety of this war. While she fights on one front the rest of us have to operate just as efficiently, carefully, and strategically across all others. Else we risk everything we stand for and everyone who chose to stand with us."

—General Tourmaline addressing the commanding generals of the Crystal Gems

Prologue

"Where are our reinforcements? They should be here by now!"

"It doesn't matter! We _cannot_ lose this sector!"

Pyrite raised her gladius so that she stopped an ax from being brought down and slicing her in two. The large, purple Homeworld Gem snarled at her opponent as she launched another vicious strike. Pyrite parried with her gladius. She lunged forward to hit her attacker but the Gem quickly evaded. A fist made contact with Pyrite's jaw, staggering her, and causing her to stumble back a few steps.

A wave of panic overwhelmed the Gem. Within the brief seconds of her getting hit and recovering so many things could happen. A blade could be shoved through her body and her gem crushed. She could be knocked unconscious and taken prisoner, only to be publically executed later for rebelling.

Pyrite regained her footing and prepared to defend against her attacker's next strike. It never came. A brown gem with short hair pierced through the Homeworld Gem with her scimitar causing her to explode into dust and a purple gem to fall into the thick mud.

"Pyrite!" Axinite ran over to meet her friend. "Where's Commander Aventurine?"

"No idea!" Pyrite pushed Axinite to the side so that she could block another Homeworld Gem. The entire Cerulean Brigade was in disarray at the moment. Their lines had been broken, most commanding officers could not organize their soldiers, and thousands of Homeworld and Crystal Gems were mixed together; fighting for survival.

The two small Gems stayed together, hoping that it would help them get out of this alive. They could not get two steps before having to fight another enemy. It was a struggle having to do so. These Homeworld Gems were different than any who they fought before. They had no fear like the others and did not hesitate to shred lash out at their target without remorse.

Even though it was two against one, Pyrite and Axinite were having trouble against one Gem. The two stood on opposite sides of the Amethyst with their weapons ready. Their opponent had two cutlasses in hand and wore black armor like all the other Homeworld Gems around her. The Crystal Gems attacked at the same time. Both of them were knocked away and the Homeworld Gem turned onto Pyrite first.

The Crystal Gem parried over and over and over again while she backed away. Axinite lunged forward with her sword but did not hit her target. The Homeworld sidestepped and struck at Axinite, grazing her arm. Her gauntlet negated any harm but was torn apart in the process.

With the Homeworld Gem focused on Axinite, Pyrite took the opportunity to land a blow. She charged forward but did not get the opportunity. The enemy Gem spun and clashed blades with Pyrite. It sliced at her with its second sword, catching the Crystal Gem in the side.

Pyrite's right hand clutched her side as she stumbled backwards. The ruthless Amethyst ran at her weakened prey that raised her sword in defense. The might of the Amethyst's attacks rendered her actions useless. Another blow, this time across Pyrite's right arm.

Axinite thrusted her sword at the Homeworld Gem so that she turned away from Pyrite. A vain attempt as Axinite could not possibly hold her own. The two danced about, slicing at each other but never hitting. Axinite was small and agile on her feet. Her opponent was taller yet just as quick.

The small Crystal Gem made another attempt to catch her opponent. She missed and the Gem slammed both her swords down onto the blade of the scimitar. Its blade snapped under the power. Axinite was defenseless. Pyrite screamed as the Homeworld Gem dug both her swords into Axinite's body.

A round gemstone fell to the ground. Pyrite clamored to her feet while pulling her gladius from her gem once more. Her endeavor to save her friend and claim her gem was useless. The Homeworld Gem had not been touched and at this point was toying with her next victim.

Streams of tears ran down Pyrite's face as she struck out again and again. Every attack was easily blocked. The Homeworld warrior did not even need to move from where it stood. The frail Pyrite could feel her body giving up on her. The damage she sustained was taking its toll. Within a moment or two she would retreat back into the gem on her torso to recover. If that happened she would surely perish from existence at the hands of the enemy.

One last strive was all that could be mustered. Pyrite raised her gladius. Still clutching her side she charged ahead. Through some miracle or perhaps just luck her sword cut through the Homeworld Gem's body. Relief, joy, and temporary bliss washed over the young Crystal Gem. Then, nothing.

Reality set in as she realized that she was not the one to slay the monster. In front of Pyrite stood a Gem with long hair that seemed to be made of red and orange flames. Her eyes shimmered like embers in the night and stared into Pyrite's.

Pyrite fell to her knees. Not a sound came from her and not a thought rested in her mind. She merely looked up at the woman before her in all her magnificence and horror.

The woman offered one of her many hands to Pyrite who hesitantly took it. She lifted Pyrite onto her feet and looked around her. Multiple Homeworld Gems circled them. The woman picked Axinite's gem from the mud and laid it in Pyrite's hands. She kept the girl behind her as she readied herself to fight.

A massive rectangular buster blade emerged from the seemingly illuminate orange gem that ran the length of the woman's spine. She lifted it with ease and let the tip of the blade sink slightly into the ground. The Homeworld Gems rushed the lone Crystal Gem who did not show any sign of worry. She grasped the hilt of her monstrous sword with two of her four hands and swept it in front of her.

Two of the enemy Amethysts raised their swords to protect themselves but the titanic blade slid through their defenses and gems with ease. One of the Gems thought she could hit the Fusion as her back was turned but she recovered from her swing with incredible speed. The Amethyst leaped into the air only to be stricken from existence. The Fusion was quick with her weapon despite its weight. Her power and dexterity were a godlike combination.

Not one of the Homeworld Gems touched the Gem Fusion. Her speed was unmatchable and her strength unfathomable. Dozens of Homeworld Gems challenged the Crystal Gem. Dozens now ceased to be.

Pyrite cradled Axinite's gem in her hands as she watched the Fusion elegantly dance about the battlefield. She was amazed by all that she saw. Every move, every action, all of it seemed so rehearsed and coordinated. Like she had done this all before. Seeing her like this was a wondrous thing… it was also horrifying. The Gems destroyed by the Fusion were not just broken into shards or incapacitated. Their gems were turned to dust.

The sounds of explosions and a sudden uproar of commotion gained Pyrite's attention. Around her the Homeworld Gems were scrambling to handle new Gem Fusions all across the battlefield. There were dozens of these much more powerful Gems and more were on their way. From over the horizon a light blue banner raced towards the battle with an army of Crystal Gems behind it.

The Homeworld Gems did their best to reform their lines but could not correctly do so with the Fusions still wreaking havoc from within. Soon this new force— General Tourmaline's brigade collided with the Homeworld Gems. Tourmaline's soldiers crushed their enemies with extreme proficiency and ease. Without their ranks, the Homeworld Gems could not think to stand against such a powerful force.

After the battle Pyrite walked about the desolated field. Weapons, shields, and armor were strewn about. Tourmaline's brigade was gathering up the enemy survivors who had surrendered. Some were still attempting to fight but to no avail. Any that dared to attack one of the Gem Fusions was immediately shattered.

Not many of the Gems from Pyrite's brigade remained. It was heartbreaking how many there were left. At the start of the battle there were three-thousand Crystal Gems in the Fortitude Brigade. So far they had only counted less than a tenth of that number.

The unnamed Gem Fusion was not far from Pyrite. She kept her weapon at her side as she stood silently in what was now a mass grave. During the battle this Fusion enticed every bit of Pyrite's attention. The way she moved and fought was like a polished performance by that of a master. Every step, every swing of her sword, every attack was fluid and graceful and just simply stunning.

This Fusion did not move for a long time. Pyrite worried about her but did not dare approach. No one checked on her. Everyone went about their business without a single glance in her direction. Pyrite clung to Axinite's gem as she shakily inched toward her. The small, golden Gem reached out her hand.

The large warrior spun on her heel and passed Pyrite, whispering under her breath, "… It had to be done…"


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Iolite

"Where is Tourmaline? I demand to see her immediately!... I don't care if she's five star systems away! You bring her here now!"

The outburst from General Citrine echoed through the dull Crystal Gem encampment. Iolite walked alongside Tourmaline's right as they, Carnelian, Celestite, and Rhodolite headed for the command tent near the center of the camp. Thousands of Gems occupied the mud that permeated the land but not one of them said a word.

Tattered Gems covered in mud and rain stared at them as they passed with blank, emotionless eyes. The previous battle had left many of them exhausted and broken inside. Before the arrival of Tourmaline's brigade the Gems of Citrine's Fortitude Brigade had been fighting for nearly five hours. When the Coalescence Brigade joined the fray there were less than a thousand Crystal Gems left and still nearly two and a half-thousand Homeworld Gems. In the end most of the Fortitude Brigade had been wiped out. None of the Homeworld Gems survived. They fought to the very end.

For the past five months all the battles had ended like this. Thousands of Crystal Gems would charge in but only a few hundred would walk away. Every battle they called a "victory" was in reality a defeat. Homeworld could easily replace their lost numbers here on Earth. The Crystal Gems could not.

After the first half-decade of the rebellion, Homeworld lost several sectors on Earth to the Crystal Gems. It became very obvious that this once believed uprising would escalate into a full war. Homeworld feared that an incident such as this one would spark a chain reaction and lead others to begin their own acts of rebellion. In order to stop this from happening they gathered tens of thousands of Gems and trained them, not to fight, but to crush their enemies. Homeworld wanted to end the Crystal Gems quickly and mercilessly so that no one would dare to recreate such a stunt.

The first wave of Homeworld's new warriors: amethysts, exceeded expectations. They did not see the Crystal Gems as another army but a pack of disobedient vermin who needed to be laid to rest. Everything they stood for was the bane of these warriors. Their zeal and drive made them incredibly dominant on the battlefield and cause the annihilation of four-thousand Crystal Gems in their first confrontation.

"You would think she'd know that tent fabric isn't all that great at keeping in noise, huh?"

Carnelian danced around Iolite as they walked. The young, orange-red Gem was always cheery and full of bliss. Iolite could not help but have a feeling of joy and warmth as she played with her white hair; putting it above her upper lip like a moustache and making faces.

Despite their significant age gap the two shared certain traits in appearance. They were both somewhere around five feet and eight inches tall. Their physiques were thin and not very intimidating in the least bit. Apart from this the two differed in many ways.

While Carnelian's hair was long and white, Iolite's was short, purple, and appeared to be covered in glitter in the light. Iolite's gem was long and narrow; running the length of her spine. Carnelian's on the other hand was the shape of a diamond situated on her right forearm. Outfit wise, Iolite had on a light, silver chest plate, bracers, boots, and a deep purple waist cape. Carnelian was not affable towards the same gear as her elder and instead adorned a simple dark red dress with silver boots and shoulder pads.

As the group entered the tent the yelling momentarily ceased. A burly, yellow Gem glared at the newcomers before continuing her verbal rampage.

"There you are!" Citrine grabbed Tourmaline by the collar of her coat and pulled her in close. "You let my people die! We needed your help and you denied us! Now I have barely a fraction of the Gems I once had under my command left and it is your entire fault the rest are gone!"

The angry Gem stepped back as Tourmaline struck her. The rage inside of Citrine only grew because of this. With a threatening roar she drew a maul from her gem and charged forward. Just as she was about to strike her target a tower shield deflected her attack. Celestite stood in between her general and the attacker. Citrine raised her maul again but a blade was pressed against her throat before she could make another swing.

"You were right, Tourmaline," Carnelian said with an ecstatic laugh and smile, "She really is an idiot."

Citrine was restrained by Rhodolite and Celestite as Carnelian retracted the blade back into the gem on her arms. They tied her arms behind her back and pushed her down on her knees. She did not struggle, knowing full well that it would be futile.

Tourmaline went to the five other Gems in the tent who had been spectating in silence. Two of them were officers under Tourmaline's command. The other three belonged to Citrine. These three looked broken and exhausted. Their bodies were scratched, bruised, and dirtied. Their eyes were empty and jerked towards the slightest noise. Each breath was quick and shallow. One them even had her hands clasped together and was nervously twitting her thumbs.

Out of these four Iolite recognized only one. The other three were not commanding officers in Citrine's brigade. It could only be presumed that the previous commanding officers had perished during the battle and those present were somewhere far down the chain of command. The fact that they were here was not at all a good sign.

Tourmaline seemed to have noticed this as well. "Please, look at me. I want you to take a deep breath, let it out slowly, and clam your nerves. You're safe here. No one is going to cause you any harm. I am General Tourmaline of the Coalescence Brigade. Now please, introduce yourselves."

They started from left to right. The first was a short blue and white Gem named Kyanite; a warrior in Commander Talc's Peak Battalion. Next was a dark green Gem who went by Epidote. Before now she was a sergeant in Commander Agate's battalion. Standing next to her was a yellow Gem.

She did not immediately introduce herself and instead kept her arms crossed and stared straight at the ground beneath her. Tourmaline asked if she was alright but did not receive an answer. The Gem trembled as if she were freezing. As Tourmaline put a hand on her shoulder the girl jumped backwards with a frantic scream.

A short sword was pulled from her gem and wildly swung about. The paranoid Gem screamed with tears flowing from her eyes as she lashed out at unseen demons. A quick jab to the gut from Tourmaline incapacitated the crazed Gem who retreated back into her gem.

"Anyone know her name?"

Tourmaline held the gem as they went on with the meeting.

"Yellow Sapphire, Ma'am," The last Gem answered. Iolite knew this one. Her name was Aventurine and she was the commander of the Essence Battalion. It was a relief to see at least one of the Fortitude Brigade's commanding officers alive.

Aventurine continued, "She is the only surviving Gem from the Stalwart Battalion, Ma'am. We found her curled up in the mud after the battle. She was unresponsive and petrified. We carried her to camp where we looked after her. She only began to start moving less than an hour ago."

Iolite watched as Tourmaline silently pondered to herself. She let out a sigh before moving onto the reason they were gathered.

"Recount the events of the battle for me, please."

One by one, Kyanite, Epidote, and Aventurine spoke of the battle from their respective views. In all honesty, this was just an unneeded formality. The debrief only confirmed what Tourmaline and the rest of her group already knew.

"Citrine-" Tourmaline wiped some hardened mud off of the yellow gem she kept in her hand. "-You are being relieved of duty and detained on the grounds of insubordination and needlessly putting your soldiers in an impossible situation that nearly destroyed your entire brigade."

"We engaged the enemy in combat!" Citrine argued, "We did what we were supposed to do! We found the enemy; outnumbered them and fought them! My soldiers knew what they getting into the moment they joined the Crystal Gems!"

A blade sliced through Citrine's right arm; severing it from the rest of her body. She cried while Rhodolite and Celestite held her upright.

"We told you to stay within your defensive lines and wait for reinforcements. You were never going to win on your own, yet you tried and it cost the lives of almost four-thousand Gems."

Tourmaline punched Citrine. She did it again, and again, and again until the yellow Gem was nearly unconscious. "I've rescinded my former punishment." Citrine looked up at Tourmaline with tear stained eyes. "You don't deserve my grace."

Celestite grabbed Citrine by her hair and pulled her head back so the gem on her forehead was fully shown. Tourmaline retrieved her Estoc from the gem on her chest and pressed the tip to the revealed gemstone. Citrine's eyes widened as the sword slowly dug deeper and deeper.

"Wait! Please!" No amount of begging was going to save her. "I… I… I want to talk to Rose Quartz!... Bring me to Rose!" Tourmaline ignored her pleas. She tilted the blade from left to right and back again so that the blade could have an easier time piercing all the way through. "Please! Have mercy on me! Show me kindness!"

"…I am…"

Citrine's body exploded as the hole reaching from the front to back of her gem was completed. Tourmaline removed the gem from the tip of her Estoc and placed it in a pouch on her side.

"I'm taking control of the remaining Gems from Citrine's brigade," She told Aventurine, "You'll be placed into the Module Battalion for the time being and make a new company. We'll give you twenty four hours to rest. If you need anything speak to Commander Topaz. Dismissed."

Aventurine left with her fellows so that Tourmaline could speak to her subordinates alone.

"We need to push our plan forward more than ever," Iolite said, "We will _not_ win this war if we do not act."

"I know that. Hopefully this will urge the others to comply… how long will it take?"

"Twelve weeks."

"How many?"

"One- maybe two-hundred. We can train five hundred at a time."

"If I gave you four hundred could you train more?"

"If you're willing then absolutely."

Tourmaline turned to Celestite and Rhodolite. "Get me a wailing stone. I need to call this in."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Pyrite

Two Months Later

"So what do you think of being in command of a company instead of a whole battalion?"

"To be honest, it's a giant relief. I didn't mind being in charge of one-thousand Gems but in comparison to only two-hundred it was a lot of work. Plus, now I have a lot more time to spend with you guys."

Pyrite, Axinite, Howlite, and Aventurine stood in formation with the rest of their company and the other four-thousand Gems around them. They had all been sent here by their commanding generals without clear notification of exactly what they were doing. Aventurine had been given an extremely vague explanation from Tourmaline. She said that she and the rest of the Module Battalion's Zeta Company were to attend a specialized training course that could very well change the outcome of the war. As exciting as that sounded it did not exactly make things any clearer.

Just by looking around it could be seen that Crystal Gems from all over the world had been gathered here. Each Gem had their own unique look. Colors ranged everywhere on the spectrum, some Gems were large while others were the size of Human children. Zeta Company though was not like them.

Because the sector they occupied was lush forest and rugged, Aventurine and the Crystal Gems under her command wore dark green so that they blended in with the area, but for the moment they were standing in a wide clearing. General Tourmaline explained to them that they needed to change the way they dressed in accordance to their surroundings. Otherwise you would stick out like a sore thumb and make it easy for the enemy to spot you.

"I saw some Gems from Rose Quartz's army here," Howlite said with glee, "It must be pretty cool to be under her command. To be fighting with the Grand General."

Axinite looked down the row at Howlite to ask, "Do you not like General Tourmaline?"

"No! Of course not! She's a great leader and commander! Being a part of the Coalescence Brigade has taught me more than my entire experience in the Fortitude Brigade… I wish we could have been with her from the beginning." Howlite and the others laughed but inside a sudden pain spiked through all of them.

It had been two months since they had first been attached to the Coalescence Brigade. The Gems that comprised the Coalescence Brigade's Zeta Company were all survivors of the "Erroneous Battle", as it was now called. They all tried to forget about that battle, about that mistake. Whenever someone brought it up horrible memories would surface. No amount of time could make them forget.

Pyrite heard the sound of marching coming from the right of the company. Others turned to look and soon everyone was watching the battalion of four-hundred Gems clad in black uniforms and armor take their place in front of the entire brigade. Pyrite recognized just about everyone in front of her. They were all Gems from Tourmaline's Brigade. Specifically the Amalgamate Battalion.

Their commanding officer was Commander Obsidian: a short, frail looking Gem with black hair which matched the color of her dress. She ordered her battalion to halt and spun to face the battalion revealing the dark gem that replaced her right eye to everyone in attendance.

"Brigade! Attention!"

Pyrite and those around her straightened up and became absolutely silent. They remained like this for at least five minutes before anything notable happened. From the right of the brigade entered two Gems. Pyrite could name them both: Iolite and Carnelian. As they walked to the front-center of the brigade Pyrite tried to remember everything she could about them.

There was a lot of talk and rumors surrounding Iolite. Supposedly she was an expert with all types of weaponry and had trained most if not all of the Crystal Gems' commanding officers and generals, and every member of the Coalescence Brigade. This seemed a bit farfetched considering that Iolite was a lower rank to many of them. If she was the one who had trained them she should have been their superior or at least an equal.

Aside from the rumors there was not much Pyrite knew about Iolite for certain. The two had never spoken to each other and rarely did they ever meet. One of these occasions was during a routine combat practice. One of the Gems in the Coalescence Brigade had jokingly challenged Iolite to a duel. They did not expect her to accept but when she did she easily defeated her opponent. The duel had lasted seconds. During which Iolite had exerted little to no energy in subduing her opponent.

Carnelian's history was just as equivocal. Not even rumors surrounded the Gem. She was always cheerful despite everything going on around her. According to the veterans of the Coalescence Brigade, Carnelian even smiled in battle. They said that she seemed even happier on the battlefield, like she genuinely enjoyed, not just fighting, but destroying other Gems. Her age was a mystery, some guessed she was a few hundred years old, others said at least five-thousand. Where she came from was even more unclear. Before the war no one had any recollection of her and when someone would inquire about her origin Carnelian would simply shrug and skip away with an innocent smile.

"Welcome," Iolite said. Her calm, stern voice boomed so that everyone could hear her clearly. "I am Commandant Iolite Sunstone. You are here because you have been deemed the best by your commanding generals. Your strengths, talents, and skills will be tested and further improved over the next twelve weeks as my subordinates and I put you through rigorous and grueling training.

"This training is not only for your benefit but the benefit of the Crystal Gems as a whole. Here we speak nothing but the truth. And the truth is that we are not winning this war. Every battle that we fight, we lose hundreds of Gems that cannot be replaced. Homeworld, however, can easily replace their lost numbers. So what do we do?

"We train the Gems that we have to fight better, faster, stronger, and win with ease. We do not just build warriors but leaders. On the battlefield you will have to be the deciding factor in whether or not we succeed. Expect challenges that will push your body and mind to the brink of collapse, anticipate difficulties that will seem nearly impossible, and prepare yourself for the next three months knowing that what you do here will determine the not only your fate but the fate of those around you. Victory or defeat? Life or death? Which do you choose?"

Iolite turned to leave and Obsidian took over for her. "This morning," She announced, "We will be splitting you up into your teams and proceed to tour the camp site. After that you will begin your training. But at this time the Gems wearing black uniforms like myself will disperse into your companies. They are your instructors. They will watch and take note of your performance.

"Be warned: this program is not for everyone. If you fail one of the examination trials or the instructors find you to be unfit for this program you will be sent back to your brigades. It is in your best interest to put forth your full effort. With this in mind… Commanders! Prepare your companies to move!"

Aventurine

"Keep your guard up! Don't let her get behind you!"

Aventurine, a slim green Gem with long hair swiped at the yellow jasper who raised her shield just in time to keep from being hit. Aventurine backed away as her opponent swung with her sword. Seeing an opening in the strong Gem's guard Aventurine leaped to the jasper's side and slammed her sword into the Gem's left forearm.

"Finished!" Fuchsite ended the match. The jasper threw her sword and shield down in frustration. "Hey! Grab your equipment and get off the field." The jasper was starting to get riled up. Her hands were balled into fists and her eyes focused in on the instructor. Just like every other jasper she was quick to anger. Fortunately, this one was also quick to realize that there would be no benefit in this fight. She grabbed her equipment and stood on the side with the rest of the Gems.

Aventurine was kept in the sparring area. A Ruby was waved forward as the next opponent. This time Fuchsite changed the rules. The Gems were to place armor on their bodies and victory went to the one who was able to shatter their other's armor first. Aventurine complied without question. A hardened layer of magic formed along her torso and limbs creating an appearance of a light set of armor.

"Is there a problem?" Rhodolite, the unexpressive instructor to Aventurine's squad, was beside the Ruby who had yet to manifest her armor.

"Um… well, you see… I-uh…"

Rhodolite asked the twenty-three other Gems around them, "Who else does not know how to use armor?" More than half of the Gems raised their hand. Even some of the Gems who were raised explicitly as warriors had no clue.

Truth be told, none of the instructors or veteran Gems were surprised by this. Armor magic was not very common as it took a lot of concentration to maintain and slowed you down pretty significantly if you were not accustomed to its weight. That being said, if you were able to wear armor and still move efficiently you were considered one of the more powerful Gem warriors. The strongest could adorn "heavy armor" and move as if there was nothing at all.

Rhodolite and Fuchsite halted the sparring match in order to teach the Gems how to create armor through magic. Aventurine and those who already knew were asked to help anyone who was having trouble. It took about forty minutes for all the Gems to figure out how to create a basic set. Most of them seemed distraught by the unnatural weight and amount of focus it took to create the armor.

Fuchsite called Aventurine and the Ruby back to the center for their match. Aventurine's eyes met Rhodolite's who simply gave her a shrug. They both knew this would end in no time. The Ruby already looked tired from her armor and they had yet to begin.

"Begin!"

Aventurine raised her shield as the Ruby charged her. The small red Gem was slow. She lunged with her sword which Aventurine slapped out of her hand. A kick to the stomach shattered the Gem's armor and sent her backwards into the grass.

"Finished." Fuchsite called the next Gem. Then the next one and the next one until everyone had a chance to spar. Aventurine had yet to be defeated. "Gather 'round," Fuchsite said. "Does anyone know why we are training with armor?"

"Because it helps protect us," One of the rubies suggested.

"Exactly. I know in this moment that it may seem pointless or just a burden but trust me when I say that you all _need_ to learn how to manage this power. If you can learn to move as you do now while having the defensive properties that come with wearing heavy armor you will be nearly unstoppable on the battlefield. I'm going to give you a five minute break and then we will start again with our armor. Understood?" Fuchsite waved them off.

Aventurine stood with the other five members of her squad. "So," Blue Agate, a peppy little Gem asked Aventurine, "When did you learn to use armor magic? Weren't you a ship captain?"

"All aventurines fall under the quartz type. As quartz, we have a natural affinity to both combat and magic. From the moment we're created, aventurines already know how to create 'light' tier armor as well as a few other skills. It makes up for the fact that we are nowhere near as large as some other quartz Gems."

She meant practically every other quartz. Most of them took on large, beefy appearances that matched their incredible strength. Aventurines were thin and a much more "normal", by comparison, height. They relied on speed rather than overwhelming muscle.

"Why aren't you an instructor then since it seems you already know what we're doing?"

"Because we'll be learning things she's unfamiliar with." Rhodolite walked over to the resting Gems. "Do any of you have any questions? About anything at all?"

Pyrite did. She asked what it was like to be a Fusion all the time. Rhodolite thought that was a fair question. She corrected the inquisitive Gem that she was not constantly Fused. The two Gems that comprised her, a ruby and a rubellite tourmaline, could only handle being together for a certain period of time before becoming too exhausted and had to de-Fuse. Currently they had been Rhodolite for forty-one hours but their record to date was seventy-seven.

To answer Pyrite's question, she was more than happy to be Rhodolite. The power, knowledge, and experience was more than amazing. Every moment together better than the lifetime the two had been apart.

"That's why-" Fuchsite put her arm around Rhodolite with a large grin. "-She is constantly smiling!" Rhodolite kept the same emotionless expression she wore all the time. "If you really want to know what it's like being a Fusion you know who you should ask?"

"Uh- General Garnet?"

"No!" Fuchsite pushed off of Rhodolite and dismembered into another aventurine and a green apatite. "Us!" The apatite called out. "See, we're really good at what we do. Even better than Rhodie here! Our record is just over two-hundred ours, y'know." Apatite crossed her arms and fell backwards. The aventurine caught her and the two were engulfed in a white light.

"Ta-da!" Fuchsite said while striking a finishing pose. "Any questions for me?" Everyone was silent. "Oh well. Let's get back to it then but this time I want one-hundred and twenty percent from all of you!"

Peridot

Executive Director Peridot F1136-9024 walked through the loading area located inside building AC2-233. It was a large warehouse filled with hundreds of Gems, warriors and otherwise preparing to embark on through the Warp Pads to Earth. On her left a regiment of lawsonite, rubies, and adamite were beginning to march onto the pads and be transported the vast distances to a foreign battleground.

To Peridot's right was a company of constructors, technicians and engineers. Pyrites, peridots, and kyanites made up this group and were all turned to face and greet Peridot as she passed. Once Peridot had the group returned to facing the Warp Pads.

"Peridot F1136-9024," An emerald asked as she approached her lookout console.

"Yes?" Peridot stood several feet behind the taller, darker green Gem.

The emerald spun around and offered an information pad to Peridot who outstretched her arms from underneath her cloak. "Sorry for the inconvenience, Director, but I need this information completed before you pass through the Warp Pad with Regiment D-22. It's basic information: destination, who you'll be travelling with, and how many."

Peridot quickly inputted the desired requirements and handed the pad back to the emerald. "Is that all?"

"Yes, it is, Director." Peridot began to leave to join her regiment. "One moment, Director."

"Is there a problem," Peridot inquired. She was given no answer for a few moments. The emerald stared inquisitively at her information pad as if something was very, very wrong. "Pull your company to the side, please."

Peridot rushed down and passed the order along to her assistant supervisor and section leaders. The Gems under her command moved away from the Warp Pads in unison. So did the other regiments in the area. They all watched as a group of eight Gems emerged on the central Pad and began to cross the floor.

The first thing that caught Peridot's eye were the five hulking purple Gems. Peridot recognized them as amethysts. Never before had she laid eyes on them, only on their bio-reports. They were astonishing to gaze upon. Ten feet tall, clad in heavy, black armor with long white hair. It was obvious to anyone with a minimal level of intelligence that these Gems were created for war.

The amethysts dragged between them two smaller Gems— rather funny to say since most Gems are smaller than they. One of these Gems was a ruby, the other a citrine. They were beaten and appeared unconscious. Peridot noticed that the gem on the ruby's shoulder was cracked. A peculiar detail about these two was that they had large star designs on their bodies. A brand that marked them for all to see.

In a sudden outburst the citrine wretched herself free of her captors. She pulled a sword from her gem and dashed towards the lead Gem of the group. What a foolish mistake.

Peridot was unsure if anyone else knew who she was. That Gem was Red Coral. She was a special agent for the Diamonds known as a Mandate Operator, though because Red Coral was an agent who actually executed the plans her official rank was "Sentinel". Peridot had worked with her several times during her centuries of service. Not once had she ever witnessed Red Coral be touched by a weapon. This fact still held true.

As the citrine neared her target Red Coral reared back and collided her fist with her attacker's gem. The citrine exploded into dust and her gem fell to the floor. Cracked but not shattered. The group carried on as if nothing had happened and the room returned to their original positions.

After the incident Peridot's group was let through the Warp Pad. On the other side a team of rubies was waiting for her to come through.

"Executive Director Peridot?" She did not acknowledge them immediately. She was taking in the sight around her. They had emerged in Gateway Fortress One: an installation ten miles in diameter built to defend the Warp Pads as well as to supply energy all across the theatre. The walls spanned one-hundred and twenty feet into the air. Guards were posted along it at all times. Hundreds if not thousands of Gems occupied the inside. They were either maintaining the fortress or being deployed from it.

"Executive Director?"

"What?" Peridot shot the rubies an annoyed glare. They immediately tensed up and gave their names.

"We're here to escort you to Regiment A-103, Ma'am. Prime General Indicolite and General Dravite await you there."

"Is that all?"

The small, nervous Gems looked at each other briefly to confer. "Y-yes, Director."

"Then escort us. I want to leave as soon as possible."

"Yes, Ma'am!" The four Gems took off to the front of the companies who began to march behind them.

This small walk gave Peridot a chance to further bask in the fortress' eminence. According to the reports she had acquisitioned before being deployed to Earth, Gateway Fortress One employed state of the art machinery and technology. This included several gem powered particle cannons mounted along the walls that covered the four cardinal directions and the twelve long range and thirty-two local Warp Pads. As well, this fortress alone could supply the necessary energy for all major bases within the theatre to run at optimal capacity.

"Prime General Indicolite-" Peridot gave a slight bow at twenty degrees to the commanding Gem of the entire Gateway Fortress. The blue Gem returned Peridot's greeting with a bow of her own. A very peculiar instance since a Gem of the tourmaline classification is considered dominant to a peridot. "-It's been a while since we've last met."

The general flashed Peridot a smile. "It has, _Executive Director_ Peridot. I suppose we both have moved up the chain of command. We're no longer field operatives but rather administrative officers." Her voice was smooth and wispy.

Peridot joked, "I think being a field agent was a lot more fun, to be honest. A lot less pressure on my shoulders as well." Indicolite covered her mouth with her coat sleeve as she chuckled.

"I could not agree more. Though, I believe that we will be making a bigger impact on things in our current positions."

Eighty-two years ago, before the rebellion, Executive Director Peridot and Prime General Indicolite, who at the time were Specialist Peridot and Agent Indicolite, had worked together as Mandate Operators. Their overall operation was to halt an insurgency on another world but their task was to gather information, locate any insurgents, their leaders, and devise a plan that resulted in the capture of the insurgent leaders and the elimination of anyone below them.

The operation had taken several weeks to plan and setup and needed the intervention of several Operators with much more distinguished records and skills. One of these Operators was Red Coral. When the mission was finally conducted on the forty-ninth day, the six Sentinels tasked with the apprehension of the insurgent leaders and elimination of their fifty-seven lackeys completed the mission without a hitch. In total the mission took approximately thirteen minutes from start to finish.

Over the next forty years Indicolite and Peridot had worked together on several other operations but that halted fourteen years ago. Peridot had been moved from Specialist to supervisor in preparation for her to take command of this new post. She assumed that Indicolite had also been given a position that was a preliminary to her current one.

The two did not reminisce for too long. But in the short time that they did speak both of them felt reassured. They trusted each other and were confident in their abilities to fulfill their new prerogatives: ensure the colonization of the planet Earth was completed, the termination of any further acts of aggression against the Diamond Authority, their worlds, and those who stood loyal to the Diamond Authority, and the detainment or eradication of Rose Quartz and her inner circle.

"Before you leave, Executive Director, I wanted to ask you something… Did you sign onto this position to avenge—"

"Yes." Peridot answered with her eyes locked with Indicolite's. "And it is for that reason alone that I am here. Her death will not go unpunished. I am no combatant, Indicolite, but I will be responsible the Crystal Gems are wiped off of this world."

Indicolite nodded with a smile. "I signed on for that exact reason. I guess when this is over we'll both be to blame for the eradication of the traitors."

"That is what I am hoping for." Peridot and Indicolite bowed one last time to each other before General Dravite was given permission to move her regiment out of the fortress.

"Have fun being in charge of the Kindergarten, Executive Director Peridot" the Prime General said, "Make sure we get lots of those amethysts."

"Of course, Prime General Indicolite! I know you'll run this fortress to its maximum efficiency and I hope that you won't have to use those cannons. But if you do, try to make sure their trained on the enemy!"


End file.
